FONTANA – In 2009, when Auto Club Speedway president Gillian Zucker prevailed in cutting the length of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race from 500 to 400 miles, it was good news for many drivers.

In the four the years since, 50 laps have been trimmed from the Auto Club-sponsored race, two have been considered among the best of the Cup season. The race was cut short by rain in 2012 when Tony Stewart won, but Kevin Harvick (2011) and Kyle Busch (2013) put on a show. Stewart also won the 400-miler in its 2010 debut.

There’s been talk whether other 500-mile NASCAR races should be shortened. It was the source of debate among driver Friday before practice and qualifying.

Most drivers said it was a good idea, but Carl Edwards was adamant in his opposition.

“Hell no,” said Edwards, who’ll race a Roush Fenway Ford on Sunday. “Longer is better. It’s supposed to be a test of man and machine. People pay good money for the tickets. They ought to make an afternoon out of it.

“To me, I guess some people might be jaded and come to the race track every week and only think about going home, but for me to finish a 500-miler somewhere is special. That’s what NASCAR is about to me. It’s supposed to take a whole afternoon.”

Ryan Newman, Jimmie Johnson and Denny Hamlin were also vocal in their support for shorter races, and season.

“Shortening the length of our races would be great for our sport and great for the fans,” Richard Childress Racing driver Newman. “It would build the excitement sooner. And I don’t think it would necessarily change the outcome, I think it would just intensify our sport.”

Johnson was in support of a season shorter than 36 races.

“It’s a great idea,” said the six-time champion. “Maybe 25 races a year would be really good? Thirty maybe?”

Hamlin also noted the lengthy schedule.

“Everything is long,,” said Hamlin, hurt at this race in 2013. “It’s a very tough schedule, but besides that, these races, sometimes it’s tough to keep your audience for four and a half hours, which a 500-mile race around here would be.

“You’re going to find out after 400 or 500, so what’s the difference? You’ve had a lot of time to work on your car and get it better. I’m open to shortening just about anything.”

Points count

Johnson still wants to collect as many points as he can. A race winner will virtually qualifying for the 2014 Chase, as long as there are less than 16, and Johnson is winless after four races.

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“It’s not even close to time (to worry) yet,” Johnson said Friday morning before qualifying. “If you look at the stats and you have 16 different winners in a year, it’s a pretty rare occurrence. I still think that points are every bit as important as they have been until you get to Homestead.

“We’ve been able to win multiple races a year with a certain mind-set. I’m not going to chase home runs. I’m looking at a smooth and consistent 26 races, and when we get a look at a home run, we’re going to swing for it. But we’re not stepping up to the plate every time trying to hit it out.”

Miss Sprint Cup

Greg Biffle is the lone Sprint Cup driver competing this weekend who made his debut at the Fontana track (2002). There will be another rookie this weekend.

Madison Martin is the newest member of the Miss Sprint Cup trio and she’s be interacting with fans and drivers for the first time this weekend. She’s from Cumberland, Md., and a 2012 graduate of Frostburg State (Md.) University with a degree in mass communications with a double minor in journalism and communication studies.

In addition to an internship with Fox News, she also spend a week as a student reporter at Richmond International Raceway, where former ACS public relations director Dennis Bickmeier is track president.

Hoping to remain dominant

Bill McAnally Racing has been the most dominant NASCAR K&N Pro West team at Irwindale Speedway. The Northern California-based team has won nine of the 21 times the series has raced at the track, all with the same car number: 16.

Brandon McReynolds, in his first full season with team, will race the No. 16 car in tonight’s NAPA Auto Parts 150 on the half-mile oval.

“We are looking forward to the series returning to Irwindale,” the 22-year-old said. “I’ve heard so many great things about the track and the fans. Hopefully, we can get BMR another win there.”

It is the first time the series has raced at Irwindale in three years. Greg Pursley of Saugus, who won the NASCAR weekly racing series national title in 2004 running out of Irwindale, won that race. Brendan Gaughan, who drove that No. 16 car to three consecutive Irwindale victories and is in today’s NASCAR Nationwide Series Treatmyclot.com 300 at Auto Club speedway, will be watch the racing, along with NASCAR Sprint Cup drover Clint Bowyer and Nationwide driver Chase Elliott.

Twenty-six cars will race in the series’ second event of the season. McAnally has not won at Irwindale since 2007.